Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1887-11-15
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MISCELLANEOUS
Gov. Gordon and Mr.. Davis.

ar".H -
In his recent speech in Cincinnati,
Governor Gordon, of Georgia. al
ludcd to the reception of>Mr. Davis
at Macon, as follows:
g 1t is charged that we -cheered
jeff. Davis. Does that mean going
to war again! Let us reason. Sup
pose we didn't? Suppose we turned
our back on this pale-faced, broken
down old man? Weat did he do that
L haven'tdone? don't think lshot
anybody but 1 tried pretty hard
You might ask me to turn a cold
shoulder on the wife of my BOSOM
IShe went with me to the front. She
followed me to camp, shared mydan-
lgers even to the picket, and at times
in the danger of the battle, and I'M
der Providence I owe to her tender
nursing that my life was spared me-
Why should 1 hate her? If we
should turn our backs on that man,
refuse him our sympathies, we would
merit-the scorn of every brave man
in this audience, and you would feel
an absolute contempt for us. When
jeff. Davis left the u. S. Senate he
left it rich with regret and full of po-
~litical honors. For our sakes he be-
came poor and debarred forever
from political hohorsin his own coun-
try. He fingers to-day with broken
health, and scarcely a place to lay
his head, dragging after him the
wounded limbs with increasing suf-
fering, that followed him from Buena
Vista. What would you think of me
if L said, $50 hence; l have no
more use for you 1 am not going
to do it. l would have contempt for
General Meryon (who sat on the
STACEY ifhe went back on the grand
old name of Abraham Lincoln. Put
yourself in the other fellows place.
1t was nv fortune a few weeks ago,
in Philadelphia, to take in the celebra-
ton of the adoption of the constitu-
ton, and when Georgia had taken
part, I was proud, as | stood in the
streets to sec the remnants of the old
| Union army bearing the shattered
remnants of the old flags. and as they
were viewed by that October light,
amid the shouts of ten thousand
threats, felt that thrill that l knew
was prevailing in the veins of strong
and great men, the remnants of
the Grand Army Republic. Why
shouldn't /? They were cOnsecra-
ted to the cause which was to those
gathered around them as holy rs hon
| or and truth. / would have no faith
in home and liberty if those men did
not love their old flags. So, too, we
loved ours. Let us get out of the
universe when hatred of the South
is called loyalty to the North. l am
going to show you that our children
should love their flags. A man is
better who has the nerve to do JUS
tice whatever it costs. Was there
any honor in carrying these old flags?
They, too, were woven by the patri-
otto hands of Southern women
They were delivered to husbands and
brothers, consecrated by tears and
prayers. Some were rent with bull
lets, blackened with gunpowder and
Redeemed with the blood of the brave.
Don't we build monuments to the
Confederate dead? Why General
Grant, the greatest general of the
Union Army, said he was willing to
share in the dedication of 4 mOnu-
ment to the Confederate dead
There isn't good sense in it, and the
man who tries to stir your passions
does not deserve your votes. You
see in some of your papers column
after column about rebel flags
This is the truth, l was there. There
was in all that great central city
of Macon, Ga, a dozen Confederate
flags, and $4,000 of the Stars and
Stripes, and yet some people are so
color-bIind that they could not see
anything but the rebel flags; and yet
the very carriage that bore Jeff. Da-
Wis and the horses that drew him
we're literally covered with Union
flags. The very house that he was
in was so covered with them as to
almost blind him. Some speeches
wcre made, a leader was chosen to
present n memento of affection to
his wife, and the great climax of it
was that the Union was rchabilitatcd
on q firmer basis that ever"